Three in four people admit to searching a firm before they apply for any jobs to get an idea of their employer brand. Put simply, your employer brand is your company’s reputation and it’s often said that your employer brand is cultivated, meaning that you have little control over it. Well, it is true that your employer brand develops because of a candidate’s perception of your company during the hiring process, but in reality, there is a lot that you can do to influence your employer brand.
With more applications flooding in for roles it’s become increasingly important to protect your employer brand and create a memorable candidate experience. Let’s look at how you can do this.
Setting the scene
Take a scenario where you have 10 sales job advertised and for each of those you’ve become inundated with applications – the numbers are soaring. Sound familiar? This might seem like a hiring manager’s dream, but in reality, sifting through those applicants to find the best candidate is a time-consuming job. Not only that, you also must respond to applicants if you want to ensure a positive candidate experience and protect your employer brand.
Craft the perfect job description
A higher volume of job applications is good to some degree, but only if those candidates applying are qualified for the role. To make sure that you’re receiving high-quality applications, consider optimising your job description so that the key requirements gives a clear idea of the skills and experience you need for the role. While at times it can be beneficial to hire an inexperienced person, if you need to onboard your recruit remotely you might need someone with two years’ experience working in the industry.
Saying that, you want your job advert to give a good impression of your company and LinkedIn have shown that using causal language means candidates are between 2-4x less likely to apply.
Virtual interviews
Virtual interviews save time and money and help you meet and interview your potential candidates in a shorter time frame – this means that candidates have to wait less time to hear your decision. Their impression of your company during the hiring process can have a significant impact on your employer brand, especially if they choose to leave a review on Glassdoor. The negativity bias states that people are more likely to recall negative events than positive ones, so it should be a top priority to make sure the candidate has a good experience, at every stage of the job hiring process.
What’s more, remote interviews are preferred by as many as 38% of people and when done right they can boost your employer brand.
Communication
This idea of responding swiftly to candidates takes us to the next point – communication. At a time where face-to-face interaction has become less common, adding a personal touch will make all the difference and set your company apart from competitors.
Another key reason it’s important to give candidates timely feedback is that it’s a great strategy to build your talent pool. If a candidate didn’t have the right experience for the role they applied for there’s no reason to discount them for future roles and by keeping them in mind this can save you time down the line. For this to work though you need to be transparent and let them know as soon as you’ve made your decision.
Track your employer brand
67% of the UK population are on social media, and with that number only set to rise, making sure you have a positive presence across all channels is essential. Despite job applications streaming in by the minute you won’t regret allocating time to monitor your company’s reputation.
Consider this – a job seeker has applied for a role you’ve advertised and you offer them a virtual interview. Perhaps they don’t receive communication for a few weeks while you’re making your decision. There’s every chance they’ll take to Glassdoor to leave a review, or post their experience on another social media channel. If they leave a comment explaining that communication was too slow or that the interview felt rushed, this is extremely damaging for your employer brand and your company brand too. Tracking these comments gives you the option of doing damage control to protect your employer brand, or even adjusting your process to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
How can BMS help you protect your employer brand?
Finding the right company to work with can improve your candidate experience and protect your employer brand, especially at times when job applications skyrocket. BMS can not only help with this but we’ll also protect your time, allowing you to focus on managing your team. Find out more about how we can help you with your sales recruitment and marketing recruitment needs.
